I put myself through college reselling used clothes. I've made nearly $50,000 so far this year.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Hannah Valentine, 25, cofounder of Drop Soda Market, a monthly vintage market. The speech has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

I graduated from Lindenwood University pinch nary student indebtedness debt. After scholarships, my tuition costs astir $4,000 to $6,000 a semester, and I paid for the last 3 years of my grade by reselling vintage clothes.

I started trading used apparel connected Depop successful 2017 arsenic a sophomore successful precocious school. At first, I listed pieces from my ain closet that I nary longer wore. They sold faster than I expected, truthful I started buying inventory from thrift stores and reselling it online.

I was already utilized to shopping secondhand because I was raised thrifting. Even now, aft moving into my ain apartment, almost everything successful it — my couch, java table, broadside tables, intermezo center, and astir of my furnishings — is secondhand.

Since graduating, I've been capable to give much clip to the business, and I've made astir $48,000 successful gross gross truthful acold this year.

Today, reselling is my full-time job

I walk astir 12 hours a time sourcing vintage inventory, washing and repairing clothes, organizing pop-up markets, creating societal media posts, and getting fresh for the adjacent event.

I don't trust connected Depop the measurement I utilized to. About 98% of my income now comes from pop-up vintage markets because I've recovered they're a amended usage of my time.

During marketplace season, I usually person 1 to 3 pop-up markets each weekend, wherever I tin waste arsenic galore arsenic 250 pieces successful a day. I typically value clothing betwixt $20 and $30 an item.

I effort not to value thing beneath $20 because I walk clip washing, repairing, and restoring galore of the pieces earlier I waste them. Some of the apparel I find person stains, rips, aliases missing buttons, but I spot their potential. I'll sew hems, switch buttons, repair zippers, and spot holes.

I person complete 1,000 pieces of inventory astatine immoderate fixed time, which I support successful my studio.

It takes up each waking moment, but I emotion moving my ain business, and I wouldn't person it immoderate different way.

I walk astir $1,200 a period connected inventory alone

I shop astatine car shed sales, browse Facebook Marketplace, and sometimes get clothing from family friends, but I root astir of my inventory from Goodwill Outlet stores.

You ne'er cognize what you'll find successful the bins astatine Goodwill. Sometimes I travel crossed utilized diapers and bloody towels, truthful I ever deterioration gloves. It's not the astir glamorous portion of the job, but digging done each of it is portion of uncovering the pieces worthy saving.

Goodwill charges by weight, which is now astir $2.09 a pound. I retrieve erstwhile it costs little than $2 a pound, but for illustration everything else, sourcing inventory has gotten more expensive.

Booth fees, which usually costs betwixt $500 to $800, are my adjacent biggest expense, particularly erstwhile I travel.

When I drove to a marketplace successful Memphis recently, I paid for a booth, gas, a hotel, and capable inventory to banal it, which added up to astir $1,000 earlier I made my first sale.

Every travel is simply a calculation: Will I break even? How overmuch will I make? Is the thrust worthy it?

Learning what to bargain took time

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that knowing what will waste isn't thing you summation overnight. It's knowledge that comes from spending years looking done racks of clothing.

One of my favourite brands to find is old Forever 21. Most group deliberation of it arsenic a modern fast-fashion retailer, but I emotion the pieces it made successful the precocious 1990s and early 2000s. I besides look for brands for illustration XOXO, Bebe, Juicy Couture, Baby Phat, and Ed Hardy.

One of my champion finds came from Facebook Marketplace, wherever I spotted a blurry listing for a vintage Donnybrook overgarment priced astatine $40, successful awesome condition. The overgarment was particularly sought aft because Rihanna had worn the aforesaid style, truthful I displayed a photograph of her wearing it alongside the overgarment astatine my booth. I sold it for $450 astatine a vintage marketplace successful Detroit.

I don't deliberation we request to support making truthful galore caller clothes

I've seen firsthand really overmuch clothing is already retired there. At the Goodwill Outlet stores, location are bales of apparel waiting to beryllium put out.

Some group whitethorn beryllium intimidated by reselling aliases deliberation it's thing that's gatekept, but I deliberation the opposite: We request much group uncovering homes for apparel that already exist.

That's why I promote group to shop secondhand whenever they can. Vintage isn't the only action — location are plentifulness of secondhand apparel that are practically caller — and each acquisition helps support clothing successful circulation alternatively of creating much waste.